Notre Dame is coming off their most complete and balanced performance of the season and Mike Denbrock's unit is finally hitting their stride. We saw a dominant ground game and quarterback CJ Carr had his best performance in a Notre Dame uniform throwing for 234 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and rushing for an additional score. This weekend, they take on the struggling Stanford Cardinal and the Fighting Irish offense have the opportunity to put on another dominant performance. Keep your eye on these three matchups as the afternoon unfolds. 

Sophomore left tackle Will Black is coming off of his best performance in the starting lineup. The 6-7, 316-pound tackle earned the starting left tackle spot this offseason after Anthonie Knapp moved inside to left guard. Throughout the season, he's flashed in moments and we've gotten to see the type of player he's going to be in the near future with the Irish. Last Saturday was a culmination of his first four starts, but now he'll have to build on that foundation while facing a talented edge rusher from Stanford. 

Matchup To Watch: Cardinal's edge rusher Omar Staples currently leads the team in total pressures with 13 and second on the team with 1.5 sacks. The 6-3, 265-pound edge rusher has the frame and athletic ability that's given Black problems in the past. In the season opener, Wisconsin edge rusher Sebastian Cheeks (6-3, 243-pounds) was able to get Black on a couple of pass rushing snaps but the sophomore left tackle is a much more experienced player than he was on September 6. 

Notre Dame's wide receiver corps was in need of someone to step up alongside Jordan Faison and junior Micah Gilbert answered that call. The 6-2, 205-pound North Carolina native has broken out so far in 2026 and his performance has not disappointed. Through five games Gilbert has recorded 18 receptions, 368 receiving yards, averaged 20.4 yards per catch and has two receiving touchdowns. The connection he's starting to build with Carr is evident on Saturdays and this weekend, he'll have the opportunity for another big-time performance. 

Matchup To Watch: Stanford's pass defense as a whole has struggled this season. They rank 137th in the country in passing yards allowed and 110th in the country in passing touchdowns allowed. Cornerback Leroy Bryant has been hurt in coverage quite a bit this season. The 6-0, 185-pound defensive back has been targeted 23 times this season, allowed 15 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Gilbert has been giving opposing outside corners issues all season long. He will have the opportunity for another big day. 

It's not a coincidence that the game the Notre Dame offensive line dominates, gets a push up front and the run game design does not lack creativity, the Fighting Irish running backs dominated. Freshman back Jonaz Walton led the team in carries (23) and yards (120) while all three backs including Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. all averaged over 5.0 yards per carry for the first time in 2026. The momentum of the Fighting Irish ground attack has started to build over the last couple of weeks. This weekend, in the battle for the Legend's Trophy, they'll be going against the 110th ranked defense in the country in yards per carry allowed. 

Matchup To Watch: The one player, if he's healthy and able to go, that could give Notre Dame's run game some issues is middle linebacker Matt Rose. He is quite literally the heart and soul of that defense and that unit looked significantly different with him on the sidelines against Wake Forest in their 57-3 loss. Rose, despite missing the Wake Forest matchup, still leads the team in tackles with 38 and tackles for loss with 4.0 on the season. He also leads the team in run stops with 20. The Notre Dame running backs should be able to take advantage of this matchup in the run game and in the passing attack. 

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